Chapter 27: Part 27

Edward, my brother was eight years older and mature, was more of a parental figure growing up than my father. It was only him and I for a lot of years. Especially after we lost our mother at a very young age.

That incident alone broke my father and made him retrieve into a shell. It came out of nowhere and swept us all like a tsunami, a disaster that left us with nothing but broken pieces to pick up. The same year my father suffered huge financial losses and shut down his business. It destroyed us as a family, the burden of it all making my father turn to the comfort of gambling and alcohol while my brother worked odd jobs to make ends meet. Also, the money from our pack council helped, which we used to pay for our groceries and bills.

A heavyweight settled in my stomach as I thought about my dear brother. As soon as he turned twenty, I was excited for him to find a mate and settle down. As luck would have it, he did not find one and began training for the military.

For the longest time, I wondered what motivated Edward to do something like that. He was out most of the nights for that purpose, and a few years later, he enlisted in the military. Those years were hell for me in a lot of ways.

A shiver ran down my spine as soon as I thought about that moment. I was about seventeen when Edward left our pack and joined the military service, leaving me alone. The age when I met him and my life fell into chaos.

Two years into service and he came back only to find me in the worst of mental health. He reached me and bought me back home, didn't even blame me for the things that went down. It was due to my brother's motivation that I applied for a college and got a scholarship.

It's been almost half a year since that, and I haven't seen my brother. He does check up occasionally by dropping a message or video calling on weekends. Edward never came to see me, though or neither does he know that I have been living next to Abel. What was I going to tell him?

Gripping the phone tightly between my fingers, I jerked up abruptly, the back of my legs hitting the edge of the bed. I didn't care. I made a lame excuse and rushed out from Avons place and bolted out of there, not caring if I looked like a woman possessed.

As soon as I was in my flat, I closed the door behind, stomach sinking and twisting into an ugly mess, and I pressed the heels of my hands into the closed eyes, taking in deep, shuddery breaths.

There are no lights on, and it's freezing. Slinking into the kitchen silently, I noticed that the window had been left wide open for the chill to swoop in. My jaw clenched as I wrenched it shut, rattling the frame.

My eyes fell on the post-it note on the fridge in the corner. When I pulled it open, off-yellow light spilt out, my throat clogging up again. I was not in the mood to eat.

Rushing inside my room, I let my head droop in the silence and slid slowly down the rough wood. I was quiet at; first, my eyes clenched shut just as hard as my mouth, my nails digging into the palms.

Maybe it won't be bad after all. I could keep Edward away from his friend or, better, stay away from both of them till the end of his trip. The more I thought about it, the more impossible it seemed.

When the phone rang, blaringly loud and shrill, I was busy staring at a stain in the carpet for the last few minutes, completely comatose. I managed to lift my head up, as heavy as it was, and look across the room to where it was resting on my bedside table. Slowly, I made my way and picked up the call, only to fall onto the bed a moment later.

It's entirely dark now, clouds indeed swallowing the sun whole and ripping out of the sky, and through the curtains, a sliver of silver light cut across the sheets.

"Hello?" I said. My throat was scratchy, and I barely made a sound, so I cleared it and tried again.

"Emma?!" Avon rushed out. "Is that you? Is everything alright?"

I closed my eyes, inhaling sharply and clambering under my covers. "Yeah, it's me."

"Are you not at the cafe?"

A curse slipped from my mouth as I stared at the clock on the wall. It's way past my shift. How could I forget? Palming my temples, I let out a sigh, resisting the urge to scream aloud.

"No...I forgot."

"It's okay. I am sure my cousin will understand. Just tell him you have been busy with your assignments or something."

I suppressed a smile at that. "Alright."

"Did you get home okay? I would have dropped you off."

"I am fine, Avon." I almost snapped, guilt swarming in my belly seconds later. The news of my brother coming to visit has been making me so anxious and on edge.

"Sorry...this is not a good time for me to talk. Can I call you later?"

"Okay...I'll um...I'll see you tomorrow, right?" He murmured, and I heard a rustling sound from the other side like he was trying to slap at the pages of paper.

"Yes." I hummed. "I will see you."

"Bye"

"Mhm." There was a few seconds where it was us breathing, unsure of what to do, and then there was a rattle, a click, and the line went dead.

I calmly placed the phone back onto the desk, laid back in his bed, grabbed at my spare pillow, pressed it over my face and let out a strangled noise.

***

"Edward is coming to see me."

Allie's entire face shifted, almost beaming as she put her glass down and turned the bar stool. Her eyes were wide as she nudged at my side. "Isn't that amazing?! Did he get a holiday or something?"

I eyed her suspiciously before shaking my head. "Mhm something like that. He has two weeks off."

"Oh." She perked up, folding her lips, avoiding my eyes altogether. "I guess he can stay with us for two weeks then, no issue."

I spluttered at the thought, relieved that I was already done with my breakfast. The thought alone made my face pale, a lump lodging in my throat. "That's very kind of you, but it won't be necessary, Allie. He will find some place to live."

She made an offended sound. "Oh please! Em, he's your brother. We can share a room for the time being, and he can stay in your room. It's just two weeks."

I opened my mouth to argue but instead made a sound in the back of my throat. "I don't know about it, but let me check with him, okay?"

"Please do!"

***

After that weird interaction with Allie, I bid her goodbye. My best friend was settling into her new job and didn't want to miss a day. I, on the other hand, dragged myself to the university. Not before peeking at Abel's door for a minute too long.

There was no moment. Maybe he had already left for the class.

Unfortunately, there was no way to confirm if Alpha Abel came to the university as I did not have his class on Tuesdays.

The day dragged on with Naya and Avon by my side. During the lunch break, I heard my phone buzz in my pocket. My eyes widened when I saw Edward's number flashing on the screen.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Em. Guess where I am?!"

I swallowed, gripping the phone tightly and looking around. "Umm...on your way to see me?"

"So close! I am standing outside the university administration office. My flight landed early, so I thought of visiting you first."

Colour drained my face, and I hastily ran to pick up the bag, both my friends staring at me weirdly. I held a hand over the phone and gave them an apologetic look.

"My brother is here to see me. We will catch up later!" With that, I turned on my feet and strode out of the cafeteria.

"Ed, you didn't have to do that. I am sure you must be tired from your flight anyway."

"It's nothing! Besides, I have..." He let out a strange sound from the back of his throat. "Em, give me a second...Hurry up."

Pocketing my phone, I walked into the hallway, spotting my brother's dark brown hair and tall, muscular build miles away. His back was facing me as he kept talking with someone.

"Edward?" I softly called out, throat clogging with emotion.

Two sets of head turned around when I froze in my spot.

"Miss Emma?"

***